Considering the fact that civilized humans--humans at least
bright enough to seek shelter in caves--have been on Earth for 50,000 to
100,000 years, you might think we'd have this business of fishing down
pat. Fish do have the advantage of time, though, because they've been
around for an estimated 400 million years. On the other hand, they still
have a brain about the size of a pea. And it's not much of one, being
pretty much an enlargement of the spinal cord.

Ironically, that itself is a clue as to why catching a fish
isn't a simple and straight-forward process. Fish are slaves of their
senses; they don't ponder abstracts and permutations like humans do, they
react to various stimuli. If you've ever been around a
four-year-old when he or she hears the jingle of a nearby ice-cream truck,
you've already grasped this concept. Also, the stimuli that fish react to
are very different from those that you and I react to (and I refuse to
write a simile or metaphor about that, because fishing is a
wholesome activity). But the point is that it can be difficult to catch
fish consistently if you don't understand, say, how the heck they can live
in water in the first place. This chapter introduces concepts that can
help you become better at catching fish.

Hal's Story: A Day in the Life of a
FishHal (not his real name; he doesn't
have a name) is a foot-long largemouth bass who lives in a 100-acre lake
in a state with a moderate climate. Hal was born in the lake three years
ago, one of about one thousand fertilized eggs that hatched in late
spring. When he was an inch long--by which time more than half of his
nestmates had been eaten by other fish--he was on his own, seeking shelter
in the weeds of the cove where he was born. Hal has spent most of his life
in that cove, leaving it only when the water there became too warm, too
low, or too cold.

At sunrise this summer
morning, Hal is hovering just inside the edge of the bed of lily pads that
extends 10 feet from the shoreline. His belly is full of various minnows,
insects, and one unlucky frog that Hal ate during the course of the
previous night. Hal roamed the entire cove finding this forage, but now he
is staying under the cover of the lily pads, avoiding the direct
sunlight.

A school of 3-inch long shiners,
a dozen in all, swims past the edge of the lily pads, looking for insects
and any tiny aquatic creatures that will fit into their minuscule mouths.
Hal sees the school and remains motionless. He will not go after the
school and expend energy chasing them. However, the last shiner in the
school is a bit smaller than its mates and must swim harder to keep up.
This effort sends vibrations through the water that do not synchronize
with the vibrations made by the rest of the school. Hal waits until the
shiners are almost past him, then darts out and opens his mouth behind the
last shiner. By this time the entire school has sensed the presence of the
predator and has begun swimming quickly toward the deeper water of the
cove, but already the last shiner is in Hal's mouth. Hal turns the shiner
around in his mouth and swallows it headfirst while swimming back to his
station in the weeds.

Hal remains there for
a couple more hours, eating one more shiner in a similar manner. By now
the sun is higher in the sky and Hal moves to a deeper, and thus cooler
and darker, section of the cove, where he is more comfortable and less
likely to be seen by predators. Hal stays in the depths for most of the
day, moving around close to the bottom, finding and eating two small
crayfish.

Hal's
EveningToward dusk, when the sun is off
the water, Hal moves back to the lily pads. A not-quite-grown green frog
jumps off one lily pad and begins swimming toward another. The sight of
the frog and its vibrations trigger Hal into movement. He rises to near
the surface, studies the frog for a few seconds, and with one powerful
burst shoots up and out of the water, grabbing the frog in his mouth in
the process. He swims back down and swallows the frog, again
headfirst.

Minutes later something splashes
down on the water in almost the same place where Hal captured the frog.
Again, Hal is triggered into movement, but as he rises near the object, it
moves in a most unfrog-like manner, moving way too fast through the pads,
at one point sticking to a pad stem and making it quiver and shake. Hal
moves quickly away from the object disturbing the environment and leaves
the lily pads altogether, dropping down to the bottom of the cove.

The fisherman standing on shore yanks on his
fishing rod, eventually disentangling his lure from the weeds, reels up,
and casts again elsewhere.

Cautious CastsSome fishing lures are good at catching fish,
others are good at catching fishermen. When you're buying lures,
don't fall for fancy packaging or ornate designs. A good lure either
imitates the natural forage of the water you intend to fish--long,
slim, silver minnows, perhaps; or small crayfish--or will provoke a
strike because of its action in the water. (More on lures in Chapter
11, "Lures: Virtual Reality to Fish.")

The sun sets. That night
Hal moves around the cove again, searching for shiners and other small
fish. A cricket falls into the water just inches from the shoreline and
Hal, being only a few feet away, blasts into the shallows to eat it.
Later, a field mouse swims across the water and Hal rises up, studying the
rodent. But suddenly a bass nearly twice as big as Hal appears from the
other side of the cove and engulfs the mouse in a shower of spray. Hal
moves off, and as the light from the early morning sun hits the water,
goes back to the refuge of the lily pads.

Loose LinesMany people, even experienced anglers, assume that a fish
will hit a bait or lure because it's hungry. This is true most of
the time, but certainly not always. For example, fish that are
protecting their nests of eggs or young will often attack a lure
retrieved past them, only to defend their progeny. And certain
species of fish, like shad and some salmons, that migrate up a river
or stream to spawn (mate) sometimes aggressively hit an angler's
offering. But if you open a migrating shad's belly, you'll find it
empty. When spawning, these fish hit lures only out of
reflex.

Just Another Survivor ...Hal's life may not seem to be a particularly pleasant
one because everything he (and every other fish) does revolves around
survival: eating; competing with other fish for the same food supply;
locating to various parts of the water to avoid extreme cold, heat, or
light; and staying away from predators (reproduction, another survival
instinct, will be covered later in this chapter). Hal's life is not a
Disney movie; anthropomorphizing may be fun but it won't help you catch
fish. Hal isn't cagey or crafty or plotting; he is simply a
survivalist.

He is also quite tasty when
filleted, dipped in milk, rolled in flour, and fried to a crispy golden
brown.

Fish are cold-blooded (meaning their
body temperature is not internally regulated) vertebrates (meaning they
possess a spinal column) that live in waters the world over. About 17,000
species of fish are now known.

There are
two basic biological groups of fish: bony fish, which have skeletons made
of bone and are the quarry of most fishermen; and cartilaginous fish,
which have skeletons made of cartilage. The latter group consists mainly
of sharks, rays, and skates, found primarily in salt water. The females of
most bony fish discharge their eggs into the water, where males fertilize
them with their milt(semen). The eggs of cartilaginous fish are
fertilized in the female's body.

Bony fish
share many characteristics, as indicated in the following
illustration.

3.1. The basic anatomy of a bony fish, using
this large-mouth bass as an example.

Most bony fish have two sets of paired fins: the pectoral fins,
which are typically located just behind the gills; and the pelvic fins,
found on the fish's belly below the pectoral fins. There are also three
vertical fins: the dorsal fin, which is on the fish's back (some fish have
front and rear dorsal fins); the anal fin, which is at the rear of the
belly, and the caudal fin, which is the tail. Fins provide mobility and
balance.

Fish must take in oxygen from the
water and eliminate carbon dioxide from their circulatory systems. This is
performed via the gills, which bring the fish's blood supply in close
contact with the water. Bony fish have four pairs of gills, which are
located on either side of the fish just behind the head. A fish "breathes"
by closing the gill slits and opening its mouth, taking in water. The
water is then forced through the gill chambers, over feather-like gill
filaments that absorb oxygen from the water and remove carbon dioxide from
the blood. The water is then passed out through the opened gill
slits.

The skin of a fish is covered with a
thin layer of slime, which performs a number of vital functions. First,
the slime serves to protect the fish from parasites and disease. Second,
it allows the fish to move easily through the water (which is why some
long-distance swimmers coat their bodies with grease before a
competition). Third, the slime prevents water from entering the fish's
body.

Getting the PointAn anadromous fish is one that migrates from the
ocean to a freshwater river to spawn, such as shad and striped bass.
Salmon that have been transplanted to the Great Lakes still exhibit
this behavior, moving from the lake to a tributary to spawn. Fish
that migrate from freshwater rivers to oceans in order to spawn are
called catadromous fish.

Beneath the slime on most bony fishes are scales, which serve as
another form of protection. Scales are layered in rows on the fish's body,
much like shingles on a roof. One edge of each scale is attached to the
skin of the fish. Scales are not living tissue, somewhat resembling
fingernails. Some fish species have no scales; some have tiny, practically
invisible scales; and some have large ones. People who eat large-scaled
fish like perch with the skin on, such as when baking, should remove the
scales before cooking. This can be done with a scaler, which resembles a
dull-edged, large-sawtoothed knife. (See Chapter 29, "In the Pan or On the
Wall?" for more information on fish cleaning and preparation.)

The lateral line on a fish is a long, thin canal
that runs horizontally on each side of the fish's body, from just behind
the gills to the base of the tail. On some fish it is also continued on
the head and may have numerous branches off the main line. The lateral
line is filled with sensory organs with which the fish is able to detect
low-frequency sounds and changes in temperature, pressure, and water
current. Fish also possess an inner ear, and numerous pits on the skin
containing nerve endings detect touch. All this makes for a very
vibration-sensitive creature.

Fish taste
things via specialized taste organs located in and around the mouth. Fish
may also be able to detect taste via additional organs on their body. A
number of species, such as catfish, have barbels(commonly referred
to as "whiskers"), or thin protrusions emanating from the mouth area.
These are very sensitive to taste.

Fish
smell (that is, they are able to) via nostrils on either side of the head.
Nerves connect the nostrils to the brain and allow the fish to search for
food. Some fish, most notably sharks, have highly refined senses of smell
and rely on it more than they do eyesight to find food. Some fish use
their sense of smell to find particular waters. Anadromous fish such as
salmon live in oceans but always migrate to the stream in which they were
born. Their senses of smell allow them to detect the odor of their home
stream.

First, with the exception of
some sharks, fish don't have eyelids and tear glands. Because the fish is
in constant contact with water, there is no need to rewet the eye and
clean it.

Second, most fish can't regulate
the size of their iris, which is the colored ring on the eye. The human
iris can widen or shrink to adjust to the amount of light, leaving just a
dot in the center when the light is bright, or exposing the whole lens in
dim conditions. Fish, therefore, must move to different areas of their
environment to adjust to the amount of light in the water. (Of course,
light under water never reaches the same brilliance as does light above
it.) This is why fish rarely expose themselves to bright sunlight.

Third, the lens of a fish is round (when looking
from the side), not disk-like as in humans. Fish focus on objects by
altering the position of the lens, instead of changing its shape, as we
do.

Fourth, because fish have eyes on
either side of their head, they can see objects to either side of them
simultaneously (although most fish can't focus on the same object with
both eyes). This also means, however, that fish have a "blind spot"
directly in front of their heads, because the line of vision from each eye
intersects at a certain distance in front of them?from a few inches to a
few feet, depending on the fish.

Fifth,
some fish species are farsighted, some are nearsighted; others have no
problem focusing on both distant and close objects. This last group can
focus their eyes independently on different objects at different ranges as
well. Authorities agree that the various vision capabilities of fish
depend on the environment and habits of the particular species. For
instance, a bottom-hugging catfish has no need to see objects at a long
distance; the fish is suited to living and feeding in dark and often silty
waters. This makes perfect sense when considering that catfish have those
taste organs on their barbels, which allow them to identify food without
having to get a clear picture of it. Conversely, brown trout--which often
feed on insects floating on the surface of the water--need good long-range
vision to search for and identify forage.

Fish see color very well, at least as well if not better than
humans can, and can distinguish contrasts, brightness, and shade. This
holds true mostly for comparatively shallow-water species. Because light
does not penetrate water very well, fish that live in the depths have no
need to distinguish colors, as most aren't visible there anyway.

School NotesBecause fish don't like bright light, casting to large
areas of shallow, sunlit waters is usually wasted time. This is one
reason why dawn and dusk are usually good times to fish. Also, if
you can easily see a fish, that means it can also see you, and any
sudden movement will scare it into hiding. Back off slowly and cast
from a distance.

Where Fish LiveDifferent species of fish prefer various types of habitat,
depending on their biological needs. Often, that habitat is determined by
the temperature of the water. Because fish cannot internally regulate
their body temperature, they must seek water in which they are
comfortable.

Brook trout, for example,
require very clean, cool (never reaching higher than 65-F),
well-oxygenated water to survive. Picture a gushing cold mountain stream,
and you've defined ideal brook-trout habitat. The brown trout, though,
prefers water in the 60-65? range, but it can tolerate much warmer water
than can the brookie--up to 75-F, or, in some cases, 80-F. Brown trout can
live practically anywhere that brook trout live, but brookies can't
survive in many waters where brownies thrive. The two species, though,
share many of the same food sources--mainly aquatic and terrestrial
insects, crustaceans, and smaller fish--so if you're fishing a stream that
harbors both fish, you're liable to catch either type if you are using,
say, an earthworm for bait.

Compare that
with the temperature preferences of the largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Largemouths prefer water temperatures from 68? to 78?, but can survive in
lakes and rivers that reach higher and lower temperatures. This means that
the largemouth can survive, even thrive, in a large variety of waters, and
it does: Largemouths are found in almost every state in the U.S., in
waters ranging from huge reservoirs to slow-moving rivers to
spit-across-size ponds. The smallmouth bass--a close relative of the
largemouth--requires water near the 70-degree mark, and therefore is limited in
range to cool rivers and large lakes and reservoirs. The range of the
smallmouth is limited to the northern half of the U.S. (and some deep and
therefore cool man-made waters throughout the South, where the smallmouth
was stocked). There are a number of waters that hold both largemouth and
smallmouth bass, but because largemouths prefer warmer water than the
smallmouth, you usually won't find them inhabiting the same area.

Getting the PointA terrestrial is a life form that lives on or in
the ground (terra firma) instead of in the water. Terrestrials play
a significant role in the diets of many fish. Ants, grasshoppers,
crickets, mosquitoes and their larvae, grubs, mealworms, mice, and,
of course, earthworms are all eaten by numerous species.

For example, one day a
friend and I went fishing at a large reservoir in the Northeast for
largemouth bass. We were planning to hit the coves first thing in the
morning, casting to weedbeds and to the numerous felled trees that
littered the shoreline. We launched the boat and started motoring to one
long, narrow cove not too far away. At the entrance to the cove, a rock
bluff entered the water at a steep angle, and the depth obviously dropped
off quickly. There were no weeds. It wasn't an ideal place to fish for
largemouths, considering that this was mid-spring and the water was still
quite cool. But in our anxiousness to begin fishing, we cut the motor and
cast to the bluff. Bang! A fish grabbed my lure (a jig with a white
plastic trailer; see Chapter 11 for more information about lures), and a
few minutes later, I brought a 2-pound smallmouth to the net. I was
pleased but also surprised because I had no idea that the reservoir even
contained smallmouths.

School NotesGood fishermen check the temperature of the water they
intend to fish. Although fish can detect minute differences in
temperature--as little as one degree, according to some studies--most
of us can't accurately gauge the temperature of water by sticking
our hand in it. Water thermometers, which are sold in tackle shops,
come with a long cord so temperatures can be checked at various
levels.

We cast a
few more times to the bluff with no results. So we fired up the motor,
turned into the cove, cut power, and dropped anchor. On my second or third
cast to the downed trees, a 1-pound largemouth nailed my lure--the same jig
that fooled the smallmouth.

The following
table lists the preferred habitats and water temperatures of popular freshwater
species.

3.1. Fish Habitats and Temperature Zones

Species

Preferred Habitat

Preferred Temperature Zone (-F)

Brook Trout

Streams, lakes, ponds

52-56

Brown Trout

Reservoirs, streams, lakes

60-65

Lake Trout

Reservoirs, lakes

48-52

Rainbow Trout

Reservoirs, streams, lakes

55-60

Largemouth Bass

Rivers, reservoirs, lakes, ponds

68-78

Smallmouth Bass

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, streams

67-71

Spotted Bass

Streams, reservoirs

73-77

Bluegill

Streams, lakes, ponds

75-80

Pumpkinseed

Streams, lakes, ponds

70-75

Black Crappie

Rivers, reservoirs, lakes

70-75

White Crappie

Rivers, reservoirs, lakes

70-75

Chain Pickerel

Streams, lakes

75-80

Muskellunge

Rivers, lakes

67-72

Northern Pike

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, streams

50-70

Walleye

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, streams

65-75

Yellow Perch

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds

65-72

Striped Bass

Rivers, reservoirs

65-75

White Bass

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers

65-75

White Perch

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds

75-80

Blue Catfish

Reservoirs, rivers, ponds

77-82

Channel Catfish

Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds

75-80

Black Bullhead

Streams, lakes

75-85

Brown Bullhead

Streams, lakes, ponds

78-82

Loose LinesA good reason to know temperature preferences of various
species, and to check the temperature of the water you're fishing,
is the thermocline. The thermocline is a horizontal band of water in
a lake or pond that marks a rapid temperature change. If you've ever
gone swimming in a lake and, upon entering a deep section, noticed
that the water at your feet was much colder than the water at your
belly, you felt the top layer of the thermocline. Fish will often
seek out and remain in the thermocline because the water temperature
they seek is within the thermocline's zone.

How
Big Fish Make Little FishBony fish
reproduce by the female discharging eggs through her vent into the water,
where a male releases milt, or semen, from his vent to fertilize them. (If
you turned to this page first in hopes of finding some NC-17 material,
sorry, that's it, the show's over.) Spawning, as fish reproduction
is called, is an instinctive rite for fish and not much is known about the
actual triggers for it, although experts in the field agree that water
temperature and light have something to do with it. Some fish species will
change hues and color patterns during the spawn-some turn bright, others
go dark.

Various species go about spawning
in slightly different ways. The brown trout and the largemouth bass, two
very popular species in the United States, provide two good examples of
the differences.

The brown trout spawns in
the fall or the early winter, depending on the region. Brown trout in
streams will deposit eggs in redds, or a shallow depression on the
gravel bottom dug by the female trout with her tail. The male and female
will lay side by side over the redd, depositing eggs and milt. After
fertilization, the female covers the eggs in the redd with more gravel.
The current holds the eggs, which number from 500 to a few thousand,
depending on the size of the fish, in place in the redd. The male and
female browns then leave. The eggs hatch the following spring.

Largemouth bass, however, spawn in the spring. The
male (not the female, as with trout) prepares a nest-again a shallow
depression-in a sandy or gravelly bottom of a lake in only two or three
feet of water. The male then tries to attract a female to spawn. If
successful, the male and female lay eggs and release milt over the nest.
This may happen several times in one nest, with the same or a different
female. The eggs hatch in a week or two, during which time the male guards
the nest, defending it from all real and imagined predators, including
lures cast by fishermen.

School NotesFish eggs are popular forage for many fish, notably
rainbow trout and steelhead (which are ocean or Great Lakes rainbows
that spawn in rivers). A popular bait for both fish are salmon eggs,
which are sold in jars. One pea-sized egg is usually impaled on a
similar-sized gold-colored hook. Often the pale yellow salmon eggs
are dyed in bright colors (usually orange) and/or scented for extra
fish appeal.

Although the reproductive habits of the brown trout and the
largemouth bass differ, both species-as well as hundreds of other
species--are very successful spawners in the U.S., enough so that natural
propagation keeps thousands of waters filled with fish.

Loose LinesBecause bass are very vulnerable to fishermen when they
are spawning, some states don't open the bass fishing season until
after the spawn is complete. On very heavily fished lakes, it would
be possible to decimate the bass population if fishermen caught and
kept all those males guarding the nest.

Do
Fish Feel Pain?This is a question commonly
asked by those new to fishing. And it's a good question, too; many
otherwise experienced anglers don't know the answer. Actually, it's
difficult to prove scientifically whether a fish feels the sting of a hook
in its mouth the same way that I would feel that same hook in my mouth
(that has never happened to me, although a friend of mine once hooked
himself in the nose while flyfishing on a very windy day, and he said it
hurt quite a bit).

We do know that fish
respond to being hooked: They fight and leap and pull toward the
bottom, always putting pressure against the angler's fishing line (never
in my life have I hooked a fish that came directly to my hand or net). But
that still does not signify pain as we know it. As a matter of fact, fish
exhibit some traits from which we can construe that they don't feel pain
at all.

For instance, many times I have had
a fish on my line--including bass, pickerel, bluegills, and numerous
saltwater species--that I lost moments after I hooked it. These fish had
the point of the hook embedded far enough into their mouths to respond to
it by fighting. For whatever reason--I didn't set the hook hard enough, the
hook point itself was dull, I didn't keep a tight enough line--the fish was
able to dislodge the hook from its mouth ("throwing" or "spitting" the
hook, as it is commonly referred to). Yet on one of my next few casts, I
would hook the very same fish.

When
I was young, sometimes I would lie down on a small boat dock and fish for
the little bluegills and pumpkinseeds that took refuge in the shade of the
structure. I would dangle a worm-baited hook just a foot or so under the
surface and watch the panfish come out from the shade, observing the worm.
Eventually one of them would dart over and try to grab the worm--try,
because often the mouths on those diminutive bluegills would be too small
to engulf the whole worm. So it would become a matter of striking exactly
when just the point of the hook was positioned at, or just inside of, the
fish's mouth. So many times I would have a bluegill on the hook for a
matter of seconds, watching while it tugged against the line and tried to
swim back to the safety of the dock's shadow, and then it would throw the
hook. I'd reel in, rebait with a fresh worm, drop it back in the same
place, and witness that same bluegill come out, study the worm, and try to
eat it again.

School NotesIf I catch a fish that I intend to keep, and don't have
the means to keep it alive until I clean it or fillet it, I kill it.
Besides putting the fish out of its misery, it ensures good-quality
meat. Fish that jump around until they expire may acquire an
off-taste.

Similarly, I have fished lakes for bass with a topwater lure
(which imitates a frog or a mouse or a wounded baitfish) and had a bass
jump up, grab the lure, and start swimming away. Now, many surface lures
are made of hard plastic and feel very much unlike a frog, not to mention
the shiny and sharply honed hooks dangling from them. The bass would shake
its head, losing the hook, and then come back to hit it again.

Also, many people have witnessed sharks in a
"feeding frenzy" that are so keyed into eating that one shark will
occasionally take a bite out of another. That wounded shark would then--as
gruesome as it may sound--turn and actually begin feeding on itself.

Some people may argue that fish dofeel
pain; the reason that they don't react to it is that their sense of
hunger--the predatory instinct--is much stronger than their sense of pain.
But I've also fished enough times when, for whatever reason, the fish just
won't eat anything, to disallow that reasoning. My personal, unscientific
theory is that fish do feel something when they're hooked, but it
is not at all the same sensation that humans would experience. In other
words, it doesn't hurt them.

Loose LinesSometimes a fish gets away from the angler by breaking the
line, with the hook still embedded in its jaw. Surprisingly, many
fish survive such an event, because the hook will rust and fall
away. I have even caught fish with an old fishhook still attached to
them, and they didn't show any outward signs of being affected by it
(obviously they were still well enough to eat). Fish that swallow
the hook are a different case, and there have been numerous--and
conflicting--studies on whether or not the majority of such fish
survive. The type and size of the hook, where in the fish it is
located, the species of the fish, and the water it is in are all
factors.

Pollution and How Fish Deal with
ItI used to live near a picture-perfect
trout stream in rural Pennsylvania that had signs posted on trees along
its banks notifying anglers that the water was polluted. Chemicals had
leached from some old barrels that had been buried near the stream some
time ago, and tests had shown that the fish carried the chemicals in their
bodies. The state fish commission no longer stocked the stream. That was
OK, because it was brimming with brown trout that had "held over" from
previous stockings years ago. My friends and I caught and released
hundreds of trout from that stream over the course of a couple of years,
and they were beautiful, sparkling fish. One day there I caught a brown
trout that was no more than five inches long--proof that the trout were
successfully reproducing.

At one time I
also lived close to a river that had one color year-round: brown. Street
sewers drained into it and various manufacturing companies released
who-knows-what from discharge pipes along its length. Occasionally the
river would emit a distinct and very unpleasant odor. Its shores were
lined with garbage and waste. Yet the river held fish--a healthy population
of carp and a few species of panfish.

Cautious CastsMany of the harmful chemicals found in fish that
live in polluted waters collect mainly in the organs, which are not
normally consumed, and the skin. If you know or suspect that the
water is polluted, remove skin before cooking.

Many fish species are
hardy and can withstand pollution to an amazing extent. The problem with
fishing in polluted waters--besides the obvious loss of aesthetic value--is
that the fish might be dangerous to eat, because of the build-up of
chemicals inside their bodies

Loose LinesThe carp is an extremely hardy and prolific species of
fish that is native to Europe, where it is highly regarded as a
gamefish. In the U.S., however, where the species was introduced
into a number of waters in the late 1800s, carp are disdained by
many fishermen. This is because carp are considered ugly by those
who pursue trout, bass, and other "glamour" species; they muddy
waters because of their widely wandering bottom-feeding habits; and
possibly because they can survive where no other fish species can,
such as highly polluted lakes and rivers. Yet carp grow to
tremendous sizes, exceeding 40 pounds in many waters. They are also
edible (when skinned and the dark meat removed), and are an
ingredient in gefilte fish. Smoked carp is also considered
delicious.

Fortunately, U.S. waters are less polluted now than they were
just two decades ago, thanks to rigid enforcement of environmental
regulations. Also, state fish and game departments keep close track of the
degree of pollution in fishable waters, and institute dietary guidelines
for people who intend to keep and eat their catch. There are many
different types of pollutants present in our waters, but basically there
are two types of guidelines issued if necessary: Either no fish should be
consumed, or no fish should be consumed by children under a certain age or
by pregnant women. Contact your state fish and game department for details
about specific waters, species affected, and guidelines.

The
Least You Need to Know

A fish's instinct is keyed to eating,
survival, and reproduction.

Some fish senses are highly
developed, especially touch and smell.

Fish don't see things like humans do,
but they are very sensitive to light, and they can see color very
well.

Water temperature is the most
important factor in determining where fish will be, and different fish
have different preferences.

Fish reproduce, or spawn, at
different times of year depending on the species, and one of the parents
usually defends the nest.

Fish probably do not feel pain as
humans know it.

Some species can tolerate water
pollution remarkably well, but fish from polluted waters may not be safe
to eat. Contact your state fish and game department for details about
specific waters, species affected, and guidelines.